1. Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to an ink jet recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an ink jet recording apparatus, when an ink discharge operation is performed, dispersion of very small ink particles that do not land on a recording medium and that are so-called ink mist occurs other than dispersion of main droplets that land on the recording medium. Ink mist is dispersed by air flow, which is generated in a recording apparatus as a result of a movement of a carriage and the like, and attached to various places in such a manner as to contaminate the interior of the recording apparatus. In addition, ink mist is also dispersed on the backside of a recording medium and contaminates the rear surface of the recording medium. This phenomenon will be hereinafter referred to as back staining.
In an ink jet recording apparatus, in the case where a recording operation is not performed for a predetermined period of time, ink in a discharge port of a recording head becomes thick and may not be normally discharged. Therefore, even during a recording operation, a preliminary discharge operation is performed at regular intervals, and ink in a discharge port is discharged at regular intervals, so that the discharge port is maintained in a good state. Such a preliminary discharge operation is performed at a preliminary discharge position, which is outside a recording area, and in a cap, and thus, a large amount of ink mist is generated as compared with the case of a recording operation. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-105348 discloses a configuration in which an amount of ink mist is reduced by performing a preliminary discharge operation at a cap position that is spaced apart from a recording area.
However, in the case where a preliminary discharge operation is always performed at a position that is spaced apart from a recording area in order to reduce the amount of ink mist at the time of a preliminary discharge operation, the time taken for a recording head to be moved to a preliminary discharge position is increased, and this results in a decrease in throughput.